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Western American Diocese Celebrates
9th Annual Diocesan Days
 With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Longin, the Serbian Orthodox
Diocese of Western America celebrated its annual "Diocesan Days" at
St. Sava Camp in Jackson, California, on Labor Day weekend, 2005. This
year, Bishop Longin invited His Grace Bishop Maksim (Vasilijevic) of
Hum to be the keynote speaker. The faithful of the Diocese were
privileged to meet and listen to the multi-talented Bishop Maksim, who
holds a doctorate in the field of Dogmatics and Patristics from the
University of Athens, speaks five languages, and is accomplished in
both art and music, having studied painting at the French Academy of
Fine Arts in Paris and having been a member of a choir directed by the
renowned Serbian musicologist, Prof. Dimitrije Stefanovic. Bishop
Maksim is a disciple of the highly respected Serbian theologian, His
Grace Bishop Atanasije (Jevtic), who in turn was a disciple of the
great Archimandrite Justin (Popovic) of Celije.
In the clergy meeting on Friday, September 2, Bishop Longin
expressed his joy that Bishop Maksim was present, bringing with him
the blessing of the Mother Church in Serbia and her hierarchs. Bishop
Maksim then proceeded to give a "power-point" presentation to the
assembled clergy. Entitled "The Land of the Living," the presentation
dealt with the subject of "holy space" and was illustrated with icons,
photographs of churches, and, for contrast, some contemporary art.
An understanding of "holy space" is very important for us today,
His Grace said, because of the dangers that threaten the survival of
our planet. His Grace described various approaches man has taken
toward the world: (1) the rationalistic approach, which sees the world
as something to exploit, to use for our own purposes, (2) the pagan
approach, which sees the world as Divine, and (3) the romantic
approach, which sees mystical powers present in every aspect of
nature. The Orthodox Christian has another approach, which Bishop
Maksim said "is the only proper and appropriate approach, and that is
the Eucharistic approach." We Orthodox Christians look at nature as a
sacred reality, but, unlike the pagans and the romantics, we know that
it is not Divine, and that it does not have meaning in and of itself.
Nature has meaning only in terms of where it came from?from God, our
Creator?and in terms of where it is going: to the future age beyond
the General Resurrection, when there will be "a new heaven and a new
earth" (2 Peter 3:13, Rev. 21:1), and man and the entire cosmos will
be transfigured. We affirm the sacredness of creation and we
anticipate the future age every time we celebrate the Eucharist. In
the Divine Liturgy, the priest takes the products of God's
creation?the bread and the wine?and offers them up to God, saying the
words: "Thine Own of Thine Own, we offer unto Thee, in behalf of all
and for all." Through the Power of God, the bread and wine are changed
into the Body and Blood of the Incarnate God Himself, Jesus Christ.
Thus, the Kingdom of God is made manifest on earth, and the believers
receive a foretaste of the age to come.
 Our vision of creation, Bishop Maksim stressed, must be liturgical.
Nature is not for exploitation, but for stewardship. We are not the
owners of creation; rather, we are called to be the priests of
creation, to bring holiness into this world. It is said of the holy
elders of old, that when they came to live in a place, they "redeemed"
that place by the holiness of their lives. We Orthodox Christians must
strive to do the same. The entire world was created to be in communion
with God, and each of us is called to help bring this into reality.
In the evening, after Vespers and dinner, all the faithful who had
gathered for Diocesan Days were given the opportunity to ask questions
of Bishop Maksim, together with Bishop Longin; the Bishop's Deputy,
Protopresbyter Stavrophore Velimir Petakovic; and Abbot Gerasim of the
St. Herman of Alaska Serbian Orthodox Monastery in Platina,
California. One highlight from this interactive discussion was Bishop
Longin's comments on the spiritual awakening occurring now in Serbia.
In Serbia, Bishop Longin said, Church life is becoming much richer and
more versatile. Spiritual fathers are feeding their flocks with
spiritual food to help them grow in the Christian life. Serbian
priests are close to the young people, making themselves accessible by
appearing on television and taking part in public discussions.
Orthodox societies in Belgrade are inviting priests and theologians to
give public lectures. Books are being published about contemporary
Serbian elders. Most significantly, more and more young people are
learning about our Faith: they are coming to love and follow our Lord
Jesus Christ, and they are dedicating their lives wholly to Him.
On Saturday, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Bishop Longin
with Bishop Maksim as concelebrant and with the participation of all
the clergy. Bishop Longin gave a stirring sermon on the theme of
thankfulness to God. He pointed out that we often divide the things in
our lives into two categories: the "good" and the "bad." We thank God
for what is "good," and we are unhappy or even bitter about what is
"bad." This is not the Christian attitude. Rather, we should thank God
for everything, understanding that our lives are in His hands, and
that everything that happens is God's Providence, which He wills or
allows for the sake of our salvation and the salvation of others. If
we will only keep in mind and live according to this simple principle,
our lives will be much happier?no matter what happens to us.
 In the afternoon, a Parent-Teacher Conference was led by
guest-speaker Dean Langis, pastoral assistant of St. Paul's Greek
Orthodox Church in Irvine, California. The title of Mr. Langis' talk
was taken from Proverbs 22:6: "Train Up a Child in the Way He Should
Go." He spoke to the parents and church-school teachers of the need to
be examples to children, because faith is something that "is caught,
not taught." Above all, he said, Orthodox parents and educators should
love their children. The love they should have for them should be the
highest love?agape love?which Mr. Langis defined as "an unconditional
and unconquerable good will that seeks the highest good for the other
person." And, for the Christian, the highest good is of course eternal
salvation.
Mr. Langis gave practical advice to church-school teachers in how
to grow in such agape love. "Pray for the children by name," he said.
"To remind ourselves to do this, it's helpful to put up pictures of
the students in the classroom, with their names underneath."
Mr. Langis then spoke of the need for discipline in the classroom, so
that children will feel safe and secure, and will not worry about
being put down and teased. He himself has three rules in his
classroom, which all of his students are to know and learn:
- Follow directions.
- No name-calling or teasing (even apparently good-natured teasing).
- No profanity or obscenity (including saying the name of God
irreverently or lightly).
Finally, Mr. Langis urged parents and teachers to truly live their
Orthodox faith. This will have the best effect of all on the children.
Following this talk, a "power-point" presentation was given to the
youth of the Diocese by Abbess Michaila of the St. Paisius Serbian
Orthodox Monastery in Safford, Arizona. Mother Abbess talked about the
meaning of monastic life and about the daily life in her monastery,
illustrating her discussion with beautiful photographs of the
monastery, which is located near the base of Mount Graham in the "high
desert" in southeastern Arizona. The mountain, together with the often
spectacular changes in the desert sky, provided a dramatic backdrop
for the scenes of the monastery. Mother Abbess spoke of the daily life
of prayer in the monastery, and of the many labors in which the
sisters take part, including publishing, farming, and running a school
for young women. She encouraged her young listeners to visit the
monastery, pointing out that monasteries have traditionally been
places for laypeople to come for introspection, spiritual
rejuvenation, a deeper experience of prayer, and answers to the
pressing questions of life.
Vespers was served that evening, and the next morning the Divine
Liturgy was celebrated by Bishop Maksim, with Bishop Longin as
concelebrant and all the clergy again participating. Bishop Longin
once again gave a powerful sermon, this time on the theme of
forgiveness. He said that, unlike unbelievers in our secular society
and members of other religions, Orthodox Christians are called by
Christ to follow a higher, Divine law: the law of forgiveness. And
unlike those outside the Church, we are given the fullness of Divine
Grace, which enables us to put this higher law into practice.
Reiterating the words of Christ, Bishop Longin said that we must
forgive others their trespasses against us, if we are to be forgiven
by God for our own trespasses.
A banquet followed the Divine Liturgy, after which Bishop Longin
addressed the faithful of the Diocese. As he has done in previous
years, he stressed the need to foster unity in the Serbian Orthodox
Church, in the spirit of St. Sava. "Diocesan Days," he said, "is an
important part of our Church life. We have celebrated the Divine
Liturgy, partaken of the common Cup, and have experienced fellowship
with one another. Diocesan Days is an oath and a pledge that we will
remain faithful to God, to St. Sava, and to our suffering Church,
safeguarding our Church in Holy Orthodoxy."
After warm words of introduction from Bishop Longin, Bishop Maksim
gave another "power-point" presentation, this time on the subject of
"The Mission of the Orthodox Christian in the Modern World."
The mission of Orthodox Christians today, His Grace said, is to
testify, to bear witness to new life amidst a world filled with death,
corruption and sin. We must bear witness to the Church not as a power
or a jurisdiction, but as a sacramental organism whose purpose it is
to reveal, to manifest the Kingdom of God. It is the nature of the
Church to testify to the reality of eschatological
fellowship?Christian fellowship in the Kingdom of God?as well as to
the authentic experience of the person.
The Church testifies that a man finds his identity only by way of
giving himself to others and not by seeking what he thinks belongs to
him. Today, man has the tendency to emphasize his individuality and
individual rights. People today are individuals, but they have not
become true persons. An individual is (or thinks he is)
self-sufficient. He cannot be a person outside of a relationship to
others, and more specifically a relationship of loving and giving.
As modern technology advances, we will turn into numbers, losing our
uniqueness as persons. That is why a key testimony of Orthodoxy today
is precisely the testimony of the reality of the person. We must
preserve the consciousness of ourselves as persons, made in the image
of God.
His Grace went on to speak of another way that Orthodox Christians
are to bear witness to their Faith in the modern world: through
martyrdom. It is clear, he said, that the life of the Christian in
this world passes through martyrdom. Whether or not we are literally
killed for our Faith, we must enter into the experience of
kenosis?self-emptying?which was manifested most profoundly through
Christ's death on the Cross. There is no resurrection without death.
We must die to our "old man," so that the Christ can live in us. For
this, we must wage a spiritual war. This world is a battlefield and an
arena where man fights his battle against the forces of evil. We will
suffer. However, as St. Silouan of Mount Athos and other saints tell
us, we should not despair in the midst of suffering, even in the midst
of the seeming tragedies of this world. In our faith and hope, we bear
witness to Christ's Kingdom, which is not of this world. All the
peoples of the earth are invited to take part in this eternal Kingdom
of Christ, which we can experience here and now in Christ's Holy
Orthodox Church.
Bishop Maksim entrusted the flock of the Diocese to the care of Bishop
Longin, whom he called "a good conductor and pilot of the Church."
Then, having just spoken about bearing witness to Christ's Kingdom
through martyrdom, Bishop Maksim turned the attention of his listeners
to the martyred holy land of Kosovo. Unexpectedly, he began to sing a
traditional folk-song from and about Kosovo: Jecam Znjela Kosovka
Devojka. The faithful were amazed at the beauty and depth of his
singing. His voice, combined with the moving melody and words of the
song, brought many people to tears, especially those who have come
from Serbia and have felt pain of heart over the modern-day martyrdom
and crucifixion of their own holy land of Kosovo.
At the conclusion of the song, the faithful expressed their
appreciation with a thunderous ovation. The sharing of a common sorrow
was cathartic, and gave birth to a common hope: the unique hope of the
Christian in the Savior Who offers man abundant life in the "Land of
the Living" that can never be taken away?His Heavenly Kingdom. Once
again, Diocesan Days was a celebration of the life which we share in
Christ, and to which we bear witness in the Divine Liturgy.
Hieromonk Damascene
St. Herman of Alaska Serbian Orthodox Monastery
Platina, California
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